I stared out of the helicopter window, silent as Cyclops flew the machine to their headquarters I supposed.
Storm and Jean were conversing quietly from their seats, probably about me, I guessed. I wished that I had the ability to hear things better instead of just being able to go through things. The thought suddenly made me feel weak.
If I thought about it too long, I would usually find myself drifting through whatever I was leaning against or sitting against, which would mean I would find myself thousands of feet in the air, free-falling.
I tried to swallow but my throat was dry as dust. I could suddenly feel myself starting to slide down through the seat.
"Jean!" I said, my voice raised in panic. I was trying desperately to keep hold of something, but was failing miserably. Jean grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
"Whenever I think about it, I find myself doing it," I heard myself explain. Jean nodded, and started to tell me about their leader, Professor Xavier, with Storm and Cyclops adding commentary.
It successfully drew me away from thinking about my gift, and so I listened until the helicopter landed on the landing pad-that is, the basketball court.
It was now dusk, and the people hurried me inside, away from prying eyes that might be dangerous.
I looked around inside, finding myself slightly curious about my surroundings. It looked like a pleasant, old wooden house with decorative designed carpets and pictures.
I hardly noticed when Jean and Storm came up behind me. "Come," Storm said, taking my hand in hers. "We must take you to the professor."
I followed them, trying to stop myself from staring. Apparently, most everyone else had retired for the night, even though it was only 9:30.
We entered a study, where a man was sitting in a wheelchair. I hastily looked away, a bit ashamed that I had stared at him for a while.
"It's quite all right," he said pleasantly, rolling towards me in his chair. "No need to be ashamed." I eyed him warily. "How did you know that?" I asked. "I'm telepathic," he answered.
"Oh." I gulped. "Now, won't you have a seat?" he asked. I shifted my weight. "Uh, no offense, Professor, but I'm kinda-that is..." "Ah, yes, I'm sorry, I forgot," he said.
"Forgot what?" I asked. "That you can go through things," he replied. "You may remain standing up." "Thanks," I muttered.
"Now, the decision you must make is this: you can either stay here and learn to control your powers, make new friends, be protected from outside forces, or you can leave immediately. Your choice."
"You aren't giving me much time to think about this," I said slowly. "If I did stay, where would I sleep? Would I still learn subjects taught in regular schools? Would I be treated as a freak? What?"
Professor Xavier was gazing at me intently. "You have a great deal of emotional maturity for a girl as young as you," he said slowly. I blushed a bit. "You have to when you've raised yourself," I said, trying to act indifferent. He saw through it. "Yes," he said. I smiled slightly. "You digging around in here?" I tapped my head.
He nodded. "Yes, I can see you have had a hard life. Well, here, you would be taken care of and loved. You would be given a room and a room-mate, and yes, you would still learn regular subjects as well as getting to know people like us. You would most definitely not be treated as a freak."
I eyed him. Despite all I knew about him (which was little), I felt that he was actually telling the truth and that he sincerely did care about my well- being.
"All right," I relented. "I'll give it a try." "Excellent," he said, clasping his hands together. "By the way, there is something you should know."
"What?" I asked. "Jean, Storm, and Scott-""Scott?" I interrupted. "Hi," Cyclops waved at me. "Oh. Right. Your real name." I was blushing so furiously I was sure. "Jean, Storm, and Scott are part of a group I like to call the X-Men."
I looked at the group with new respect. "I've heard about you." "I'm sure you have," Scott said. "Some good, I hope?" Jean smiled wryly. "A bit," I answered honestly. They laughed.
"Well, if your powers prove to be great enough, and the vote by the X-Men is unanimous, you are liable to become an X-Man."
I caught my breath. "Really?" "Yes," Storm answered. "However, you must prove excellent in studies, your powers, and defense. That is all."
"When will I know?" I asked. "Most know by their third week if they have been added to the X-Men," Jean answered. "However, few actually make it to their ranks. Most refuse or are not powerful enough." I nodded, understanding completely.
"Very well," Professor Xavier said. "Storm, will you take her to her room?" "Where?" Storm asked, standing up. "I think Room #11," he answered.
Storm raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I have a feeling that the two will be quite...compatible," he responded. "Very well."
Storm and I walked out of the study and walked silently down the hall. Storm glanced at me and smiled. "Nervous?" she asked. "A little bit," I answered. "Who will teach the classes?" I asked.
"Professor Xavier teaches mathematics and science," she answered. "I teach you about how to control your powers and how to use them to your advantage. Jean will teach you about literature and the arts, Scott about history and foreign languages. Also, we all teach different self-defense classes, based upon where you are in that category, and who to avoid and be cautious around."
"This will be interesting," I murmured to myself. "If you are an X-Man, will you be required to take special classes?" "Oh, yes," Storm nodded emphatically. "You will learn about the enemies of the X-Men and their powers and history, take more self-defense lessons, and also you will be required to perhaps teach a special class for beginners at the school, if you are indeed that powerful."
"Will you tell me a little bit about the beginning of this school?" I asked her. "Professor Xavier started it when he was around 27," she answered. "Scott, Jean, and I were his first students. Out of all of us, Scott is the most powerful. He and Jean have been dating for about 5 years now, just so you know. We take in new students almost every six months, most of them runaways, like you, I suppose."
We stopped in front of a room. "Here is your room," she said, opening the door. "The school will provide you with clothes, food, and shelter. You will begin classes tomorrow at 7:45 A.M., and breakfast is at 7:00 sharp. Have a good night."
"You as well," I called to her retreating form. I looked inside, and saw the bathroom light on, and a bed undone. So, I took the remaining bed, merely sitting on it and looking around.
Just then, the door opened and a girl came out. She fell into a defense position and yelled, "Who the heck are you?" She had a slight Southern twang, I noticed. "Uh," I stammered, "I'm new. Just got here. Storm told me to come here, that this would be my room."
The girl cursed, and fell onto her bed. She looked at me, and asked, "What's your name?" "Kitty," I replied. "You?" "I'm Rogue," she answered. "Where are you from?" "Virginia," I answered. "I bet you're from...Georgia, am I right?"
"You a telepathic?" she asked in surprise. I shook my head. "Lucky guess," I replied. "Like your hair." She had pretty red-brown hair that came down to her shoulders, and her first part of hair on the side was white. It added pizzazz.
"Thanks," she tossed her hair over her shoulder, out of her green eyes. "What are you?" I guessed she meant mutant, and what my ability was. So, I stood up, and walked through the door, and back in.
"Whoa," she said, taken aback. "Pretty awesome." "Not really," I said. "I nearly fell out of the helicopter since I kept falling through my seat." Rogue laughed at this, and I laughed too.
"Are you a part of the X-Men?" I asked. "How do you know about that?" she whispered, glancing around. "Professor Xavier told me," I said. "Whoa," Rogue said again. "You must be pretty powerful, then. I didn't learn about it until I became one."
"So you are one," I clarified. "Yeah. I am." She twirled her hair on her finger, lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "What's your ability?" I asked. "Can you show me?" "No," Rogue said abruptly. "See..." she rolled over onto her stomach to face me. "I suck people's life force and their memories and abilities. I can learn anything I want, just by either me touching them or them touching me."
"So if I touched your hand, you would automatically do it?" I said. "Yeah. I can't control it, Storm's tried to help me control it, but it's too strong. That's what makes me dangerous."
"Oh." We were silent for a moment. "Who else is an X-Man?" I asked. "Jean Grey, she's the doctor here, and she has red hair and really gorgeous blue eyes," Rogue identified her for me. "Her gift is that she has telekinetic and some telepathic abilities, so she can lift things with her mind and sometimes read minds."
"Storm is an African-American, and she's a really nice teacher. You can tell she loves helping kids to control their gifts-or sometimes problems. Her real name is Ororo, and she's a weather-witch, controls the weather."
"Cyclops is also known as Scott, and he shoots lasers from his eyes. He has a visor so he won't accidentally kill somebody. He can control it, but only for so long, so whenever he doesn't wear it, he keeps his eyes closed. He has brown hair and brown eyes, and is the leader of the X-Men. He teaches history and languages, like Spanish, French, Italian, German, etc. He speaks a lot of tongues. I take French, just because I like the sound of it, although when I speak it I sound like a Southern trying to be French. Not very pretty."
"Wolverine." I could hear the smile in her voice. "He helped me get here. He protects me and I protect him. We're a team. His real name is Logan, and he has an extraordinary sense of smell and can shoot out claws from his knuckles. He nearly killed me one time. He has brown hair, usually isn't clean-shaven and has an attitude."
"Nightcrawler has blue skin most of the time, unless he's out in public and then he can usually hide it. He's a teen, like us, and has black hair and blue eyes. He can teleport anywhere he pleases, which is why we're really glad he's on our side, not theirs."
"And me. I'm not worth talking about, really. I'm a runaway."
"Me, too." I realized that we might actually have something in common. Despite most of our differences, I realized that I liked Rogue.
"We'd better sleep," Rogue said, easing into the covers. "Professor Xavier's really strict when it comes to curfews and being on time. Wake up call is at 6:15."
I started to turn off the light when Rogue sat up again. "By the way, Kitty?" "Yeah?" I asked. "Wanna sit with me and Bobby at breakfast tomorrow?"
I looked into her green eyes and saw hopefulness and a slight fear that she might be rejected. "I'd love to," I answered.
She grinned. "Night, Kitty."
I turned off the light, and whispered, "Night, Rogue."
And I dreamed about my new friend and the new adventures I might be in for.
Storm and Jean were conversing quietly from their seats, probably about me, I guessed. I wished that I had the ability to hear things better instead of just being able to go through things. The thought suddenly made me feel weak.
If I thought about it too long, I would usually find myself drifting through whatever I was leaning against or sitting against, which would mean I would find myself thousands of feet in the air, free-falling.
I tried to swallow but my throat was dry as dust. I could suddenly feel myself starting to slide down through the seat.
"Jean!" I said, my voice raised in panic. I was trying desperately to keep hold of something, but was failing miserably. Jean grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
"Whenever I think about it, I find myself doing it," I heard myself explain. Jean nodded, and started to tell me about their leader, Professor Xavier, with Storm and Cyclops adding commentary.
It successfully drew me away from thinking about my gift, and so I listened until the helicopter landed on the landing pad-that is, the basketball court.
It was now dusk, and the people hurried me inside, away from prying eyes that might be dangerous.
I looked around inside, finding myself slightly curious about my surroundings. It looked like a pleasant, old wooden house with decorative designed carpets and pictures.
I hardly noticed when Jean and Storm came up behind me. "Come," Storm said, taking my hand in hers. "We must take you to the professor."
I followed them, trying to stop myself from staring. Apparently, most everyone else had retired for the night, even though it was only 9:30.
We entered a study, where a man was sitting in a wheelchair. I hastily looked away, a bit ashamed that I had stared at him for a while.
"It's quite all right," he said pleasantly, rolling towards me in his chair. "No need to be ashamed." I eyed him warily. "How did you know that?" I asked. "I'm telepathic," he answered.
"Oh." I gulped. "Now, won't you have a seat?" he asked. I shifted my weight. "Uh, no offense, Professor, but I'm kinda-that is..." "Ah, yes, I'm sorry, I forgot," he said.
"Forgot what?" I asked. "That you can go through things," he replied. "You may remain standing up." "Thanks," I muttered.
"Now, the decision you must make is this: you can either stay here and learn to control your powers, make new friends, be protected from outside forces, or you can leave immediately. Your choice."
"You aren't giving me much time to think about this," I said slowly. "If I did stay, where would I sleep? Would I still learn subjects taught in regular schools? Would I be treated as a freak? What?"
Professor Xavier was gazing at me intently. "You have a great deal of emotional maturity for a girl as young as you," he said slowly. I blushed a bit. "You have to when you've raised yourself," I said, trying to act indifferent. He saw through it. "Yes," he said. I smiled slightly. "You digging around in here?" I tapped my head.
He nodded. "Yes, I can see you have had a hard life. Well, here, you would be taken care of and loved. You would be given a room and a room-mate, and yes, you would still learn regular subjects as well as getting to know people like us. You would most definitely not be treated as a freak."
I eyed him. Despite all I knew about him (which was little), I felt that he was actually telling the truth and that he sincerely did care about my well- being.
"All right," I relented. "I'll give it a try." "Excellent," he said, clasping his hands together. "By the way, there is something you should know."
"What?" I asked. "Jean, Storm, and Scott-""Scott?" I interrupted. "Hi," Cyclops waved at me. "Oh. Right. Your real name." I was blushing so furiously I was sure. "Jean, Storm, and Scott are part of a group I like to call the X-Men."
I looked at the group with new respect. "I've heard about you." "I'm sure you have," Scott said. "Some good, I hope?" Jean smiled wryly. "A bit," I answered honestly. They laughed.
"Well, if your powers prove to be great enough, and the vote by the X-Men is unanimous, you are liable to become an X-Man."
I caught my breath. "Really?" "Yes," Storm answered. "However, you must prove excellent in studies, your powers, and defense. That is all."
"When will I know?" I asked. "Most know by their third week if they have been added to the X-Men," Jean answered. "However, few actually make it to their ranks. Most refuse or are not powerful enough." I nodded, understanding completely.
"Very well," Professor Xavier said. "Storm, will you take her to her room?" "Where?" Storm asked, standing up. "I think Room #11," he answered.
Storm raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I have a feeling that the two will be quite...compatible," he responded. "Very well."
Storm and I walked out of the study and walked silently down the hall. Storm glanced at me and smiled. "Nervous?" she asked. "A little bit," I answered. "Who will teach the classes?" I asked.
"Professor Xavier teaches mathematics and science," she answered. "I teach you about how to control your powers and how to use them to your advantage. Jean will teach you about literature and the arts, Scott about history and foreign languages. Also, we all teach different self-defense classes, based upon where you are in that category, and who to avoid and be cautious around."
"This will be interesting," I murmured to myself. "If you are an X-Man, will you be required to take special classes?" "Oh, yes," Storm nodded emphatically. "You will learn about the enemies of the X-Men and their powers and history, take more self-defense lessons, and also you will be required to perhaps teach a special class for beginners at the school, if you are indeed that powerful."
"Will you tell me a little bit about the beginning of this school?" I asked her. "Professor Xavier started it when he was around 27," she answered. "Scott, Jean, and I were his first students. Out of all of us, Scott is the most powerful. He and Jean have been dating for about 5 years now, just so you know. We take in new students almost every six months, most of them runaways, like you, I suppose."
We stopped in front of a room. "Here is your room," she said, opening the door. "The school will provide you with clothes, food, and shelter. You will begin classes tomorrow at 7:45 A.M., and breakfast is at 7:00 sharp. Have a good night."
"You as well," I called to her retreating form. I looked inside, and saw the bathroom light on, and a bed undone. So, I took the remaining bed, merely sitting on it and looking around.
Just then, the door opened and a girl came out. She fell into a defense position and yelled, "Who the heck are you?" She had a slight Southern twang, I noticed. "Uh," I stammered, "I'm new. Just got here. Storm told me to come here, that this would be my room."
The girl cursed, and fell onto her bed. She looked at me, and asked, "What's your name?" "Kitty," I replied. "You?" "I'm Rogue," she answered. "Where are you from?" "Virginia," I answered. "I bet you're from...Georgia, am I right?"
"You a telepathic?" she asked in surprise. I shook my head. "Lucky guess," I replied. "Like your hair." She had pretty red-brown hair that came down to her shoulders, and her first part of hair on the side was white. It added pizzazz.
"Thanks," she tossed her hair over her shoulder, out of her green eyes. "What are you?" I guessed she meant mutant, and what my ability was. So, I stood up, and walked through the door, and back in.
"Whoa," she said, taken aback. "Pretty awesome." "Not really," I said. "I nearly fell out of the helicopter since I kept falling through my seat." Rogue laughed at this, and I laughed too.
"Are you a part of the X-Men?" I asked. "How do you know about that?" she whispered, glancing around. "Professor Xavier told me," I said. "Whoa," Rogue said again. "You must be pretty powerful, then. I didn't learn about it until I became one."
"So you are one," I clarified. "Yeah. I am." She twirled her hair on her finger, lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "What's your ability?" I asked. "Can you show me?" "No," Rogue said abruptly. "See..." she rolled over onto her stomach to face me. "I suck people's life force and their memories and abilities. I can learn anything I want, just by either me touching them or them touching me."
"So if I touched your hand, you would automatically do it?" I said. "Yeah. I can't control it, Storm's tried to help me control it, but it's too strong. That's what makes me dangerous."
"Oh." We were silent for a moment. "Who else is an X-Man?" I asked. "Jean Grey, she's the doctor here, and she has red hair and really gorgeous blue eyes," Rogue identified her for me. "Her gift is that she has telekinetic and some telepathic abilities, so she can lift things with her mind and sometimes read minds."
"Storm is an African-American, and she's a really nice teacher. You can tell she loves helping kids to control their gifts-or sometimes problems. Her real name is Ororo, and she's a weather-witch, controls the weather."
"Cyclops is also known as Scott, and he shoots lasers from his eyes. He has a visor so he won't accidentally kill somebody. He can control it, but only for so long, so whenever he doesn't wear it, he keeps his eyes closed. He has brown hair and brown eyes, and is the leader of the X-Men. He teaches history and languages, like Spanish, French, Italian, German, etc. He speaks a lot of tongues. I take French, just because I like the sound of it, although when I speak it I sound like a Southern trying to be French. Not very pretty."
"Wolverine." I could hear the smile in her voice. "He helped me get here. He protects me and I protect him. We're a team. His real name is Logan, and he has an extraordinary sense of smell and can shoot out claws from his knuckles. He nearly killed me one time. He has brown hair, usually isn't clean-shaven and has an attitude."
"Nightcrawler has blue skin most of the time, unless he's out in public and then he can usually hide it. He's a teen, like us, and has black hair and blue eyes. He can teleport anywhere he pleases, which is why we're really glad he's on our side, not theirs."
"And me. I'm not worth talking about, really. I'm a runaway."
"Me, too." I realized that we might actually have something in common. Despite most of our differences, I realized that I liked Rogue.
"We'd better sleep," Rogue said, easing into the covers. "Professor Xavier's really strict when it comes to curfews and being on time. Wake up call is at 6:15."
I started to turn off the light when Rogue sat up again. "By the way, Kitty?" "Yeah?" I asked. "Wanna sit with me and Bobby at breakfast tomorrow?"
I looked into her green eyes and saw hopefulness and a slight fear that she might be rejected. "I'd love to," I answered.
She grinned. "Night, Kitty."
I turned off the light, and whispered, "Night, Rogue."
And I dreamed about my new friend and the new adventures I might be in for.